at side of the mountains, I
named the waters Pigeon ponds. we descended to that part of the valley
which lay in our proposed course and found that some of these ponds
rather deserved to be styled lakes. The soil was everywhere black and
rich.

SOFT SOIL AGAIN IMPEDES THE PARTY.

August 4.

Proceeding over ground of a similar character we crossed several fine
streams, some flowing in shallow channels over rocks, others in deep
ravines. The ground on the higher parts was however still so soft as to
yield to the wheels, and very much impeded the progress of the party,
especially at one place where an extensive lake, full of reeds or rushes,
appeared to the right. The drays sunk to the axles, the whole of the soil
in our way having become so liquid that it rolled in waves around the
struggling bullocks. The passage of some of the streams could not be
accomplished until we had filled up the bed with large logs, covered them
with boughs, and strewed over the whole, the earth cut away from the
steep banks. Under such circumstances I considered six miles a good day's
journey, and indeed too much for the cattle. I halted for the night with
a small advanced party only on a fine little stream running over a rocky
bed; while the main body was compelled to remain with the carts several
miles behind, having broken, in the efforts made to extricate the carts
and boat-carriage, many of the chains, and also a shaft. The small river
I had reached ran in a bed of little width, but was withal so deep that
it seemed scarcely passable without a bridge. At the junction however of
a similar one, some rocks, favourably situated, enabled us to effect a
passage by bedding logs between them and covering the whole with branches
and earth, leaving room for the water to pass between.

HALT TO REPAIR THE CARTS AND HARNESS.

August 5.

A halt was this day unavoidable, but the necessity was the less to be
regretted as the weather was very unfavourable. Indeed we had scarcely
seen one fine day for some weeks. Mr. Stapylton set out to trace the
rivulet downwards, and returned in the evening after having reached its
junction with the Glenelg at the distance of nine miles in a north-west
direction. The course of the river thus determined to that junction
appeared to be more to the westward than I had previously expected, and I
began again to think its estuary might still be to the westward of Cape
Northumberland, and this prospect induced me to alter